Today’s newsletter highlights:

  • Gov. Brian Kemp backs immigration arrests.
  • State Sen. Colton Moore returns to the House chamber after arrest.
  • Georgia chief justice to deliver State of the Judiciary address.

Georgia Senate Republicans are opening a new front in their battle over transgender rights. And this time, they’re targeting a legal settlement that allows Georgia employees to get transgender-related health care through the State Health Benefit Plan.

But it also has roots in the brewing GOP race for governor between Attorney General Chris Carr, who announced his campaign in November, and Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is expected to join the race within months.

A proposal to be introduced today by Republican state Sen. Blake Tillery of Vidalia and backed by Jones would block the state health insurance plan from covering hormone therapy and surgical procedures for transgender employees seeking treatment for their transition.

State-owned or operated health care facilities, as well as state-employed health care providers, would also be barred from providing gender-affirming care. The measure includes exceptions for certain medical conditions.

Advocates for transgender rights rallied at the Capitol in Atlanta earlier this month.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

It stems from a 2023 settlement of a lawsuit filed by several transgender state employees who were denied coverage for treatment they were prescribed for their transitions. The state agreed to cover gender dysphoria treatments and pay $365,000 in legal fees.

That settlement was handled by staffers working for Carr, who is headed toward a 2026 showdown against Jones. The legislation dings Carr for his office’s role in the litigation, saying the deal was reached with his “guidance.”

Carr’s camp suggests it’s more nuanced than that. His spokeswoman Kara Murray said it was up to the state agency, not his office, to decide whether to settle the case.

“Just over a year ago, the Law Department informed the Senate that the law was bad and needed to be changed,” she said. “If proposed legislation fixes the bad law, that would be very good for Georgia, and we would support it.”

It’s part of a spate of transgender-related measures. Georgia adopted a law in 2023 limiting certain medical treatments to transgender minors. And lawmakers will soon debate a bill that blocks transgender girls from competing in women’s high school and college sports.

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Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon is challenging U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde of Athens in the 2026 Republican primary.

Credit: Backlight, Inc.

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Credit: Backlight, Inc.

GOOD MORNING! It’s the seventh day of Georgia’s legislative session. It’s also Bryan County Day at the Capitol. Guests kicked things off last night with a reception. Today, they will watch lawmakers in action and meet with elected officials.

Here are four things to know for today:

  • Opening statements in the trial of former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson are expected to begin today, the AJC’s Shaddi Abusaid reports. Johnson is accused of hindering the police investigation into Ahmaud Arbery’s murder in February 2020.
  • Atlanta voters approved $750 million to pay for infrastructure projects. Three years later, an audit found only about 10% of the money had been spent, the AJC’s Riley Bunch reports.
  • Gov. Brian Kemp attended a memorial service in southern Poland on Monday commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. “It’s up to us to continue to teach about the Holocaust. It’s important that we learn from our past,” he told Greg Bluestein in an interview.
  • Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon will run against U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde in the Republican primary for Georgia’s 9th Congressional District, Bluestein reports.

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Gov. Brian Kemp said the U.S. welcomes legal immigrants, but people who are living in the country illegally are a problem.

Credit: John Spink/AJC

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Credit: John Spink/AJC

KEMP ON IMMIGRATION. In an interview during an overseas trade mission to Europe, Gov. Brian Kemp said there should be “no safe haven” in the U.S. for people living in the country illegally as federal immigration authorities carried out arrests in Georgia on President Donald Trump’s orders.

“If people are here legally, I don’t think they have anything to worry about. It’s the people who are here illegally that we have been complaining about for over two years now. The prior administration would not take action,” Kemp said. “President Trump is doing exactly what he told people he would do.”

The two-term governor endorsed Trump’s decision to rescind policies that kept federal immigration officials from making arrests in places such as churches and schools.

“If you’re in the country illegally, you should not be here,” said Kemp. “They’re going to have to live with the decisions they made. And for people who are here and are criminal illegals, there absolutely should be no safe space for them. We should arrest them and deport them, or put them in jail.”

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Pastor Luis Ortiz from Vision in Power Church in Tucker speaks to the news media about the arrest of a congregant at the church on Sunday.

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

SENATORS REACT. Amid reports of roughly 20 immigrant arrests in Georgia, one case has drawn national attention. Wilson Velásquez, 36, was arrested by immigration authorities while attending services at his church in Tucker.

The Velásquez family crossed the border illegally in September 2022, the AJC’s Lautaro Grinspan and Alia Pharr reported. They were released and allowed to pursue an asylum case inside the country. Velásquez’s wife said they fled their home country of Honduras because they’d been threatened by gangs. Last year, he received a U.S. work permit.

Georgia U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats, have not spoken publicly about the raids. The AJC has asked them for comment and is waiting to hear back.

Pablo Manríquez, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist who writes the Migrant Insider newsletter, asked 17 U.S. senators for their reaction to the arrest. While Democrats were predictably critical of the Trump administration, most of the Republicans Manríquez interviewed either backed the Trump administration or said they were waiting to hear more facts.

Only one GOP member said she thought churches should be protected as sanctuaries from immigration agents.

“I think the specter of raids at places of worship is unacceptable and there is a separation of church and state,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

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State Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton, fell to the ground during a scuffle with a staff member earlier this month as he attempted to enter the House of Representatives for the State of the State address delivered by Gov. Brian Kemp.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

ROUND TWO. State Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, will return to the Georgia House chamber today for the first time since he defied House Speaker Jon Burns’ order to keep out and was hauled off in handcuffs.

There likely won’t be that kind of drama when Moore and his Senate colleagues enter the House chamber today for a joint session to hear Georgia Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs deliver his State of the Judiciary speech.

House Speaker Jon Burns backed off the ban earlier this month and told the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman that “we’ll welcome the Senate to the floor to hear the State of the Judiciary.”

But the chances of political theater tailor-made for social media remain high.

The Columbia County Republican Party is promoting a “Patriots for Colton” event asking people to escort Moore as he walks across the Capitol to the House chamber — a rally sure to provide plenty of footage for their feeds.

“Bring your camera, phone, signs,” the Columbia Republican Party posted in a flier on X.

Moore has used his social media account in recent days to relentlessly attack Burns, which the speaker has so far ignored. Moore deviated from that approach briefly late Monday with a post telling his supporters to stay out of trouble today.

“We ask that everyone assemble peacefully and respectfully to witness the Joint Session,” he said.

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(Left to right) Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and House Speaker Jon Burns clap before the annual State of the Judiciary address on Feb. 7, 2024.

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

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Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

LEVELING. Georgia Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs will give his State of the Judiciary address today, and there’s a good chance judges’ salaries will come up.

Yes, the judges are asking for more money. But it’s more than just a raise. There’s also a push to change how judges are paid.

Judicial salaries vary wildly across the state because some counties supplement local judges’ salaries. That’s why in some places, judicial salaries rank among the bottom in the country. In others, they rank in the Top 10, according to state Rep. Rob Leverett, R-Elberton.

Leverett has two bills — both with hearings today before the House Judiciary Committee — that would change that. The idea, he says, is to restrict how much money local governments can give to judges to boost their salaries. Instead, the state would take that on, making sure salaries for judges across the state are more even.

“We’re not appropriating money,” he said. “We’re trying to make it more sensible.”

Leverett said his bill would not directly lead to raises for most judges. Some could see their pay go up, he said, but most will see it either stay the same or go down. Judges whose salaries would decrease could choose to stay under the old system.

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The Georgia Capitol in Atlanta.

Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

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Credit: Adam Beam/AJC

TODAY UNDER THE GOLD DOME:

  • 10 a.m.: House and Senate convene.
  • 11 a.m.: Georgia Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs delivers his State of the Judiciary address to a joint session of the General Assembly.
  • 4 p.m.: Portrait unveiling of former state Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus.

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State Sen. Derek Mallow, a Democrat from Savannah, is a guest today on the "Politically Georgia" show.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

LISTEN UP. Today’s “Politically Georgia,” focuses on the immigration raids happening across the state, featuring interviews with Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, state Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, and state Sen. Derek Mallow, D-Savannah.

Be sure to download the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297. Episodes are uploaded by noon each day, just in time to have lunch with us. You can also listen live at 10 a.m. EDT on 90.1 FM WABE.

On Monday’s show, the AJC’s Samantha Hogan discussed her investigation into deadly police force. And AJC health reporter Ariel Hart talked about President Donald Trump’s order halting communications from federal public health agencies — and what that means for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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With his family sitting behind him, former Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, a Republican, testified before a Senate committee earlier this month.

Credit: Susan Walsh/AP

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Credit: Susan Walsh/AP

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

  • President Donald Trump is back in Washington, but has no public events scheduled.
  • The Senate has a vote scheduled on whether to confirm Sean Duffy as transportation secretary and a procedural vote to advance a House-passed bill that would sanction the International Criminal Court if it takes action against Israeli leaders.
  • Senate Democrats, all of whom are backing a resolution condemning President Donald Trump’s pardon of 1,500 Jan. 6 defendants, may attempt to push for a floor vote on the measure.
  • The Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on the Panama Canal and its impact on U.S. trade and national security.
  • The House is out this week as Republican members attend a policy summit at Trump’s resort outside of Miami.
  • White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold her first official press briefing

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REP. JACK’S STAFF. U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, R-Peachtree City, raised some eyebrows by hiring Joseph Brannan as his district director, as first highlighted by Legistorm.

Brannan, the former treasurer of the Georgia Republican Party, was one of 20 alternate electors that were part of an attempt to help President Donald Trump overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost.

Jack’s chief of staff is Alex Stone. They both worked in the White House during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. Abby Ronson is his press secretary, who previously worked under House Speaker Mike Johnson.

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House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones is a Republican from Milton. In 2023, she became the first female House speaker in Georgia, a role she held only briefly.

Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC

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Credit: Alyssa Pointer/AJC

SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthday:

  • Georgia House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones, R-Milton.

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AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.